What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of a Toaster Oven? All You Should Know

Toaster ovens are great to own. However, like every other kitchen equipment, they come with advantages and disadvantages. So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of a toaster oven?

Toaster ovens are compact, easy to clean and use. On the downside, their small size means that the number of meals you can cook at the same time is limited. Another disadvantage of toaster ovens is that they require close supervision if not the food can easily get burnt. 

Let’s explore what these advantages and disadvantages of a toaster oven mean for you and whether you should invest in one. We have also thrown in some of our favorite toaster ovens.

What are the Advantages of a Toaster Oven?

Toaster ovens are great kitchen equipment to have in your kitchen. They come with several advantages. Here are some of the pros of owning a toaster oven.

1. They are Easy to Use

Toaster ovens are remarkably easy to use. All you need to do is set the toaster oven to the required setting and viola, you can cook your meals with ease. What’s more, you won’t need to bend down to reach your cooked food. 

2. They are Compact

Toaster ovens are compact and free up valuable space in your kitchen. We especially like that they fit on your counter space and are readily available. They also come with different features that allow you to cook a variety of meals. You can also use your toaster oven to prepare small sizes of food quickly.

3. Ease of Cleaning

Toaster ovens are super easy to clean and effectively shorten the time spent on cleaning. So, don’t panic. With just a damp cloth, you can clean off all the crusts. Of course, the time you spend cleaning your kitchen appliance will reduce considerably if you clean your toaster oven more often. 

4. It is Faster

Toaster ovens are faster than regular ovens – they cut cooking time in half. Of course, the increased heating capacity is largely due to their compact size. The fast heating time also impacts energy consumption.

Hence, toaster ovens are also highly energy efficient. So, you get to save time and power too. 

5. Eliminates the Risk of Overheating

If you live in the hotter regions, you are probably aware of the unbearable heat outside. Things can easily get unbearable inside too if you use conventional ovens that heat up everywhere.

Thankfully, toaster ovens eliminate that risk of the house becoming even hotter. So, you can still cook up a storm without having to go berserk because of the heat.

What are the Disadvantages of a Toaster Oven?

Here are some of the disadvantages of owning a toaster oven.

1. Increased Risk of Your Meals Burning

The faster heating capacity of toaster ovens is also a disadvantage. This is because you’d need to supervise the meal preparation carefully; else, your food will burn.

2. Limited Quantity of Food that Can be Prepared at the Same Time

Again, the small size of toaster ovens works against them because you are restricted to cooking smaller portions of food at a time. The limitation on the quantity of food that can be prepared with the toaster oven is a major drawback for larger families or cooking establishments.

3. Uneven Cooking

You’d notice that in rare cases, your toaster oven doesn’t cook your food evenly. A clear example is two slices of bread toast. The toaster oven will most likely cook each to different degrees.

Top Toaster Ovens to Try Out

Check out some of our favorite toaster ovens.

1. Panasonic FlashXpress Toaster Oven

The Panasonic FlashXpress Toaster Oven is top on our list of small toaster ovens. It is great for toasting bread, baking, and roasting, and can even defrost frozen food. It heats up food evenly and is great for people with limited counter space.

2. Cuisinart Chef’s Toaster Oven

The Cuisinart toaster oven has similar features and functions as a full-size oven. What’s more, it is big enough to accommodate a 13-inch pizza.

Conclusion

Toaster ovens are great to have in the home. However, they come with their pros and cons. We have covered a few of the advantages and disadvantages of getting one. Do well to read them up.